


copper wire

by orphan_account



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Canon, Developing Relationship, First Meeting, Gen, Pining, Pre-Canon, Very Briefly Touched Upon, no other way thats for sure, what better way to make friends than to pine and also break out of jail with them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:47:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21521542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: ' we've got a deal, my little green friend, ' he says - and pauses. ' what is your name ? ' / first meeting !!!!
Relationships: Frumpkin & Nott & Caleb Widogast, Nott & Caleb Widogast
Comments: 1
Kudos: 48





	copper wire

**Author's Note:**

> I HAVE... such an image of how they first met in my head that it took the recent ep to finally make me write it !! 
> 
> i've been inspired by a lot of fics that i've seen about this - the moonlight, obviously, i wanted to put in, somewhere - and i put it in TWICE, because i always love repetition - and the end part was definitely inspired by a fic i saw from around here - but i hope i bring a fresh take on this !! 
> 
> we all know.... caleb and nott deserve to be happy, and so i Will Give Them Some Happiness Myself.

the jail cell is cold when she is tossed in, arrested for nipping on sherry that doesn't belong to her. she lands on the cool, cement floor a little off, and she winces in pain as it shoots up her arm and dulls at her shoulders. she spins around. the guards don't even spare her a look - they instead, laugh at her and turn away, muttering under their breath.

' fucking goblins, ' they say, scoffing and rolling their eyes, ' one less monster off the streets, that's for sure. '

in the past, she'd have fought against that - she remembers yelling and hitting and obnoxiously declaring - no, she's no monster, she's flesh and bone just like them - but eyes flit down to see her body mottled in green and muddy browns and greys, and the fire instantly is extinguished from her chest. she slumps to the floor - the breath knocked out of her, and in a quick movement, she turns over and curls up in a corner.

she's alone for weeks - or it feels like weeks, at least. she doesn't keep track - doesn't keep count.

she doesn't notice when a man gets tossed into the jail cell, either. her sense of time's all muddled up - unable to sense worms and moles burrowing under the ground, unable to sense ants skittering about. it could be day, could be night. miresen, grissen, whelsen. whatever it is, she doesn't know - and she only notices when she hears a similar cry of pain.

the man stares at the gate - a hint of contempt, but all the same, of surrender. he pushes himself up with his hand, and winces at the pain.

she pulls the hood over her head and closes her eyes. she's conscious for far too long - when she looks up, the moon is hanging over their heads, and the man is beautiful.

he has nice hair - nice eyes. his jaw... rather defined, and he has a little cleft on his chin.

but she shakes it off, and drifts off to sleep.

' it is... seven o'clock. '

the man's been saying that for days on end. it grates at nott's ears - too big and too sensitive, easily soaking up unwanted noise. nott pins her ears down, turns further away from him - yet he keeps on going.

the guards push trays into their room - one for her, one for him. nott slowly makes her way to the gate, slowly drags the tray to her side of the cell.

it's an unsaid division of the room. he gets the left, she gets the right.

she scarfs down the meal. it's bland and tasteless - the meat is spongy and bland and tastes suspiciously of dirt, and the vegetables all fall apart in her mouth, anyway. the man picks at his vegetables.

' it is... eight o'clock. '

' won't you CAN it?! '

the man blinks - looks up from his plate, and nott freezes in her tracks, ears lowering. eyebrows furrow, and she curls into herself, after a moment of annoyance. guilt floods her stomach.

' i meant - ' she stumbles, trying to save herself from ire, ' - nothing, no harm from it, i'm sure - i'm sorry, i've just been a little on edge - goblins don't belong in cells, if you don't know - '

' i... my apologies, ' he says. nothing more, nothing less. she freezes.

' there's... nothing, to apologize for, ' she says. ' what - why - i'm - i'm a fucking goblin, for christ's sake - i'm disgusting and horrible and outright terrifying, i shouldn't even be - be speaking, at this point! '

' i... well, but - you were, upset, were you not ?' he asks, and nott falls silent. he inclines his head at her, and nott slowly nods her head. ' then - i am... sorry. being in a cell - i suppose humans are not - meant for that, either. '

' huh. ' she hums. ' that's cool, i guess. i - just, i'm sorry, i - you can do that, but - maybe like, not every hour, you know? '

he falls silent again - but she knows he hears her.

they don't speak until a few weeks later - they've gotten a rhythm going. they sit down and brood - he draws in a small pile of dirt, while nott grinds cement debris into pieces. they hardly talk - he tells the time in two hour intervals, and nott appreciates it, a little more. it's like a personal clock - but a human man who is dirty and awful-smelling and scruffy.

' what are you in here for? ' she asks, one day. he looks up from his plate - leafy and disgusting. nott's plate is barely touched - she'd kill for some good meat. 

' larceny, ' he replies, and nott still believes it's out of politeness - after all, they were the only two people in there. ' isn't this - the cell for, uh, stealing? '

' there's sections? ' she asks. he nods. 

' there are - sections. for people who have killed, people who have stolen, people who have caused dissent. ' he rattles section after section - and nott raises a brow, intrigued.

' you know this place, ' she speaks - and he furrows his brow, squinting his eyes. she's afraid she missed the mark, but he nods.

' i've been - well, keeping an eye out of the map, ' he shifts in his seat as he replies, ' i - can't be here, for long, anyhow. i have to leave. '

' why? ' she finds herself asking.

' ..i - i don't... i have things that need to be done. and i cannot do them - if i'm here. '

nott nods - she doesn't pry further. his brow furrows deeper. 

' how did you... know? is this - your first time? in this cell? '

' ja, ' he says, in foreign tongue - but nott can discern it's affirmation. ' i've not been - in this town, before. i have... a cat. a magic one. '

' cats can't be magic. '

' well, not all cats, ' he says, but a smile tugs at his lips. ' but mine is - uh, i can, uh, well, i think it'll be best if i just show him to you. '

and with a snap of his fingers, she hears a tired mewl, and a cat-like figure apparates on the ground. his tail curls up - and frumpkin does a small stretch.

he glances at him, and frumpkin does a little blep. he smiles.

' his name is frumpkin. '

' frumpkin's a dumb name for a cat, ' nott retorts. he turns his head to her, incredulous - almost insulted, but he shakes his head, mirth still present on his features.

' well, he is not just any ordinary cat, ' he says, as a line of defense. nott shrugs.

' you can do - anything with him, then? '

' ja, yes, i can. ' he snaps his fingers, and frumpkin is curled up on nott's lap. nott freezes - and claws tentatively hover above him, afraid to hurt. ' he doesn't bite, ' he nods, and nott slowly rests her claw on his body. ' well, he is a... uh, a very good ghost. he can slip in and out of this cell, undetected. and i can look in his eyes when he goes around. '

' i don't think cats are like that. you don't have a cat, ' nott retorts.

' well, he is - not very... not entirely a cat. but he is a cat now, and a cat he will be. '

nott doesn't have any response to that. she shrugs. the fur in her claws are soft and nice - and it takes her back to the farms of felderwin. yeza and luc - and of childhood, though bittersweet. she... misses them - misses the kisses, the family dinners, the bedtime stories...

then, she gets an idea. the man is magic - he can do magical things - able to make cats appear out of nowhere, able to look in their eyes. 

he can do so much more.

' you say you're... getting out, right? ' nott asks, all of a sudden. he blinks. 

' yes, i - why do you ask? '

' get me - i mean, i understand if you don't want to, but - ' nott finally rests her other claw on frumpkin, careful not to hurt, ' i have... unfinished business out of here, too. and - i would like to get out. and finish that business. '

' ja, i can do that. why do you keep thinking i would not ? '

' i... i mean, it's not... normal. i'm not normal. i - i'm a goblin girl, and i'm a monster, and - '

he shakes his head - and he looks at frumpkin again. frumpkin begins to paw at her chest, purring contently. nott is... distracted, and really, that's all he can ask for.

' well, you are no - monster, though you may look like one, ' nott winces, ' but - you haven't done anything to me - so i will not do anything to you. '

nott pauses.

' that's... fair. so, does this mean we're working together now ? '

he hums.

' i guess you can say that. partners. for now. '

' for now, ' nott repeats after him. ' hey, would it be okay if i - uh, follow you? '

' i think that will depend on - uh, on whether our paths converge, in what we both plan to do, ja? ' nott shrugs.

' well, my goals are very vague. i can help you - i am, very good at taking things that i should not be taking. i can pick a lock, shoot a crossbow - '

his eyes widen, for a moment - and he shifts closer to her, breaking the divide. he offers out a hand to shake.

nott shakes his hand.

' we've got a deal, my little green friend, ' he says - and pauses. ' what is your name ? '

for a moment, nott wants to start anew. veth, she wants to say - veth brenatto, mother of luc brenatto and wife of yeza brenatto. but she's dead, now. veth brenatto is dead, and all nott is now is a walking corpse, a revenant that is seeking to settle the score.

she thinks to the goblins. mocking, jeering, cruel and mean - they curse her with her ironic name - not the brave. not pretty, not smart, not anything -

but it's the only thing she has.

' it's... nott. ' 

' not - not what? '

' no, not - not not. my name - it's nott. nott the brave. '

' nott the brave, ' he recites - he emphasizes the t's a little too much, and it takes the edge off of her name, just slightly.

she is not not. just nott.

' nott the brave - it is very nice to meet you, nott the brave. '

' okay, listen, you don't have to keep saying it everytime, you know ? it's a - a bad, bad name, and - '

' no, no, it's good, ' he replies, instantly. ' it's poetic. you must've earned the epithet - must have been very brave. '

' no - no, i think you got that wrong, uh - ' she shakes her head. ' it's just... nott, ' she tries again - though she secretly doesn't want him to correct his pronunciation. ' it's... not the brave. with no comma. it's - well, an ironic thing - kind of like an inside joke? '

' well, that's not very funny at all, then, ' he mumbles, and nott can't help but smile at that.

' and... what's your name ? '

' b - ' he pauses, mid-word. he runs his tongue over his teeth, and he glances down, rubbing his arm - bandaged and covered in wool.

' ...caleb. ' he says. ' caleb... widogast. '

' caleb, ' she says. ' nice to meet you, caleb. '

a firm shake.

' well, nott, ' he grins, ' let's get the fuck out of here, ja? ‘

the guards look at them weirdly when they begin to shift closer to each other - nott is more comfortable sitting beside caleb, now - she doesn't flinch when she accidentally bumps her elbow into caleb's arm, and vice versa - caleb merely nods and smiles - and on the occasion, he lets her hold his cat.

most of the time, they're plotting, though. caleb makes his cat appear just out of the cell, and he puts a hand on nott's lap.

' i cannot - see, or hear, when i am looking in his eyes, ' he instructs. ' so, well, if you have any problems - just, hit me, or shake me - preferably shake me, okay? '

' yes yes, you said this a BILLION times now, ' nott rolls her eyes, ' frumpkin knows what he's doing, right ? he's finding a copper wire, or any sort of thing that is sharp and malleable. i can fashion something out of that, to uh, pick the lock, and get us out of here. '

caleb blinks rapidly for a moment. ' he knows. he has a very good memory - but i reminded him. just in case. '

' good ! ' nott hums. ' just, you know. just in case. i don't trust any of you, by the way. '

' ja, i see no reason for you to, but we are the only ones who have each other, yes ? ' and immediately, his eyes glow a faint blue, and his body stiffens up, just slightly - she sees as frumpkin begins to make his way around the jail. nott hums, awkwardly, jiggling her leg as she keeps a watch over caleb - who mumbles descriptions of places and people and situations on the occasion. nott hums, claws combing the knots out of his hair - and soon, she begins to weave strands over strands under strands, creating a rather basic braid in caleb's hair.

it feels like hours - nott has been braiding for what seems like ages, now - and she is easily entertained by how silly caleb looks, before she quickly begins to undo them. it's unfortunate that at that moment, caleb snaps out of his trance - cat sliding between iron bars and resting his head on caleb's knee. his mouth holds a copper wire.

nott's eyes sparkle - and she immediately wraps caleb in a hug. he freezes.

' we DID it - we did it! ' she whisper-yells, grinning widely, ' we - oh my god, your cat is fucking amazing ! '

' ja, yes we did, we did - ' it takes a bit before he settles down and wraps an arm around nott, patting her back. ' - do let go of me now - you need to fashion the wire, no? '

' right, ' nott replies, and she feels a little silly herself, now - rejoicing intensely in the span of an hour. she untangles herself from caleb, picks the copper from his mouth, and her nimble fingers instantly begin to weave and twist the wire - creating a hook and a strong handle - and soon, it's hardly recognizable - it looks exactly like a lockpick, if they were made of copper. she grins.

' oh ! ' he blinks. ' that was very fast - well done, ' he scratches his arm. ' is there - anything else you may need? '

' no, i think - i think we're good, ' nott holds up the lockpick - and she slides it into her pocket. ' we just - pick the lock, run out, and disappear from their sight, right? '

' that was the plan, yes - but i do not, well, i am not very confident in this working. it's very simple - '

' sometimes, simple is the best way to do it, ' she replies. for a moment - she thinks of drunken stupors and crazed shootings and bolting in the opposite direction from her old goblin clan. ' trust me. it'd work - if everything goes on smoothly. '

' of course, of course, ' caleb's jaw ceases tension. he nods. ' well - we're getting out... tomorrow. yes ? tomorrow - we will... pick the lock. and then we will go. '

' yep ! i think that's what you said, right ? '

' mhm, ' caleb hums, ' we... we should rest early tonight, then. we have a long day ahead of us, after all. '

nott feels something funny in her chest when he says ' us ' . no longer alone - no longer fending for herself. now, it's just her and a man she met in a jail cell, running away from crownsguard.

she smiles.

' we do, ' she says. ' goodnight, caleb. '

night comes - and she looks at him again, moonlight shining on him.

he's beautiful.

nott goes to sleep.

the plan goes off without a hitch.

caleb wakes up early - four on the dot - and he gently shakes nott awake. nott whines and swats him off, but caleb persists.

' it's d-day, nott the brave, ' he calls - and nott still can't believe he's still calling her that. 

' if you don't wake up, i'm going to leave you here to rot, and - '

' fine, fine!! ' nott JUMPS up, lands on her feet, arms outstretched. ' i'm up, i'm up - we're - '

and when she turns to look at caleb, caleb is merely smiling.

' it's d-day, ' he reiterates. nott rolls her eyes and smiles.

' it's d-day. '

they wait until breakfast - stale bread and peas, and nott scarfs it down again after caleb looks at it funnily for a moment, but says they should eat to get energy. she feels her body slightly stronger than before - adrenaline pumping into her veins.

' it is eight o'clock. '

nott fishes out the makeshift lock pick from her pockets, and she makes her way towards the lock. caleb begins to distract - he sends frumpkin out to cause a scene, yelling and scratching whatever guards that come close to their cell. the guards scream and pick frumpkin by the scruff of his coat, and they're about to throw him out when caleb snaps his fingers, and the cat returns to him, safe. he sighs.

he sends it out again when nott isn't done picking. nott is meticulous when she picks, she bends forward, squints and keeps an eye out for detail as she shifts her hands in precise, mechanical ways, prodding parts of the lock, checking which is the main part of the mechanisms and which are deadweight. she sticks her tongue out, concentrating - and then she hears a click.

nott slowly pulls the lockpick back and unwraps it, quickly - and she stuffs it in her pocket, again.

' are you done? ' caleb whispers - and nott fervently nods. she gently places a claw on the door - and it opens, just slightly. caleb grins.

' gut, gut, gut - ' caleb rattles, and he pulls his coat closer to him and wraps an arm around nott as he conceals her under his coat. ' let's go, let's go, let's go. '

the guards are split up, searching for the crazed cat, when caleb and nott step foot outside of their cramped, tiny jail cell, and make their way to the exit. it's fortunate - they've gotten a good measure on how the jail is constructed - days and days of watching through frumpkin's eyes and recording it down on piles of dirt paying off, finally - and they're so close to the end that...

they hear the shouts of guards, and they begin to catch up to her. caleb looks at nott - nott furrows a brow.

caleb instantly raises up his hand - and almost instantly, fire blooms from his hands and is sent spiralling to the floor, exploding into a burst of flame and smoke. caleb grabs nott's hand and runs for their goddamn lives - and his hand is a little too tight on nott's, but they're running, and their footsteps are in tandem, and they're together.

they run until they run out of breath, until caleb is wheezing and nearly falls to his knees, until nott coughs out spit and heaves and drops onto the dirt floor when they make it a ways away from the cell. nott turns around, splayed on the dirt, and she breathes. she sees the beginning of dawn - pink and orange peeking out from the horizon, and she sees clouds, thin and fluffy, drifting across. she sees a canopy of trees awning over her, verdant and brown and multiple - and she catches sight of a distant town.

she breathes.

caleb lands on the patch of land beside her - covering himself in new dirt. his laugh rings true and giddy - and caleb throws his head back when he laughs. nott glances at him, curious - oh god, she's friends with a crazy person now, isn't she - but his laughter is contagious, and so nott laughs along with him, as well.

' we're free, ' he whispers. ' we're free. '

' we are ! ' nott's enthusiastic, grin still on her face. ' you didn't - you didn't tell me you knew more magic ! i thought you were just - some, weird, cat mage. '

' oh, ja, i forgot to - well, i'm not very proud of it, ' he says, ' but, well - it all worked out. except for the end, but i think we got out of it relatively scot-free, if you ask me. '

' yeah, ' nott says, ' we did, didn't we? '

silence. only birdsong, and the rustling of leaves. nott smiles.

' we're free. '


End file.
